


Always, I Know

by dizzy



Category: Glee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-26
Updated: 2013-02-26
Packaged: 2017-12-03 15:55:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/699989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dizzy/pseuds/dizzy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blaine is sick, and Kurt takes care of him. Future!fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Always, I Know

“You have to pace yourself,” Kurt warns Blaine at the beginning of the semester, as soon as he sees the schedule Blaine has set for himself. “You’re going to wear yourself out and end up exhausted and sick.”

But Blaine is a people pleaser, and suddenly there are a lot more people in his life to please. He takes on extra shift at the coffee shop he works at, he volunteers to stay late and help classmates struggling in piano, he works double time to stay at the top of his classes. He does yoga with Kurt and insists on date nights at least once weekly and lunch at least twice. He boxes and runs and has three dance classes. 

Kurt isn’t sure if it’s that he had to fight his parents tooth and nail for their support at NYADA, or just because he’s had a taste of what being miserable felt like and he’s determined to keep all of his balls in fluid mid-air motion at all time this year, but he’s never seen Blaine more driven. 

And halfway through the semester, he’s also never seen Blaine more tapped out. In retrospect, Kurt would like to be able to say that he saw what was going on and put a stop to it, but the reality is that when Blaine said he was still doing fine Kurt let himself be convinced. 

He gets a text from Rachel halfway through one of his classes. In a most unhelpful way, all the first message says is, BLAINE!!!

Kurt: What about...?   
Rachel: Passed out and hit his head. COME QUICK!!

Kurt bolts upright. His teacher and all the other students turn to look at him but he’s shoving his reading material printouts into his bag and smoothly stepping between the rows of desks, muttering apologies but not even considering staying for a split second. 

He finds Blaine sitting on a staircase with Rachel, Adam, and half a dozen other students crowded around - some of whom just seem to be watching the spectacle. He can hear Blaine trying to insist that he’s okay. 

The crowd parts as he nears. Blaine is holding a wad of paper towels to the side of his head and leaning heavily against the railing. 

“Kurt!” Rachel cries out, relieved. “He won’t go to the doctor, please talk some sense into him.”

Kurt pushes past his own terror at seeing Blaine like that. He squats in front of him and puts a hand on his knee. “Blaine? Sweetie?” 

Blaine’s eyes blink open, sluggish. “Kurt.” His little smile takes a few seconds to form and in that few seconds Kurt just wants to bundle Blaine up and stick him in his pocket and keep him close and safe and warm. 

But, later - now he needs to make sure Blaine is okay. 

* 

“I couldn’t breathe,” Blaine admits. They’re sitting in the waiting area for the campus doctor to return. “It was only for a second seconds, but I couldn’t see straight and my legs stopped working.” 

“And then your head abruptly met the floor,” Kurt finishes. He does have an arm around Blaine now, rubbing soothingly up and down his side. “How long have you felt this bad? And be honest.” 

“About a month,” Blaine says, after thinking about it for a few seconds. “Since I had that bad cold. I felt like I never really recovered from it.” 

“Because you never gave yourself time to,” Kurt scolds. Then he stops, because scolding isn’t what Blaine needs right now. “You’re coming home with me, I hope you know that.” 

“Rachel-” 

“Rachel had Brody live with us for two months. She can handle you staying for a week or two.” 

“Santana-” 

“Adores you, come on.” Kurt kisses Blaine’s forehead. “We’re both going to skip classes tomorrow, and I’m going to make you my world famous Kurt Hummel chicken noodle soup, and we’re going to watch whatever marathon is on Bravo and you are not going to move a muscle.” 

Blaine tries to argue, but he’s already smiling a little. 

* 

Blaine gets written a trio of prescriptions to treat walking pneumonia and an ear infection that he hadn’t even mentioned to Kurt and instructions on what over the counter medicine he can take for the mild concussion his fall had earned him. 

Kurt loses count of the number of times Blaine says, “I’m fine,” as they wait for the prescriptions to get filled. There’s a little fresh market beside the pharmacy so Kurt parks Blaine on the bench and ducks in for an impromptu shopping trip. He doesn’t have his bags with him but he gets the basics and plans on sending Rachel out for the rest later. 

By the time they make it back to the loft, Blaine is clearly fading fast. “Bed,” Kurt orders, pointing. “And I’ll be in there to wake you up in a couple of hours.” 

“Kurt...” Blaine’s voice has that half-patient, half-petulant twist to it, but he trudges over and when Kurt goes to check on him ten minutes later, Blaine is already fast asleep. 

He’s wearing one of Kurt’s Hummel Tire and Lube shirts and Kurt’s favorite, most worn pajama bottoms. Kurt’s pretty sure they weren’t even clean and he ignores the slight ick that the idea of Blaine digging through his dirty laundry produces, because Blaine is just too damn adorable with the covers pillow hugged to him. 

Kurt changes into something more comfortable himself and then comes back with juice, half of a turkey sandwich, and medicine. He feels bad waking Blaine but he also knows that waiting to start the courses of pills won’t help in the long run. 

“Up,” he gently urges. 

Blaine grumbles and squeezes the pillow more tightly. “Kurt...” 

“Come on, just take these and I promise you can sleep for a few more hours.” Kurt’s soothing tone is apparently convincing enough. 

Blaine only manages half the sandwich before he says he’s full. “You hadn’t already eaten lunch, had you?” Kurt frowns. 

Blaine looks guilty and shakes his head. “I guess my appetite hasn’t been that great the past few days, either.” 

“Blaine!” Kurt sighs, exasperated. “And this is why you need to just live here, because I clearly cannot trust you to take care of yourself.” 

Blaine looks wounded for all of three seconds before his expression changes abruptly to a shy smile. “You think I should live here?” 

They’d talked about it, of course. They’d talked about it when they’d first gotten back together, when Blaine had been accepted into NYADA. They’d thrown around words like ‘too soon’ and ‘make sure we’re fully healed’ and neither had admitted that maybe they were just afraid that living together wouldn’t work. 

They’re both very careful with what they have now, careful to consider actions from all angles and take into account how it will affect the other person. Except, apparently, Blaine when it comes to actually trying to keep himself healthy, and Kurt will certainly have harsher words for that when Blaine doesn’t look quite so much like a puppy needing cuddled. 

“Yes,” Kurt says. “I was going to bring it up soon.” 

He scoots down onto the bed closer to Blaine, who rolls into him like there’s some sort of magnetic pull. “I’d like that.” 

“We’ll talk more about it later,” Kurt promises. He kisses Blaine’s forehead. “Go to sleep now.” 

He stays there until Blaine is snoring gently and then goes back into the kitchen. He can’t sit still, not when the adrenaline hasn’t quite faded from his system and the knot of worry in his gut stays resolutely in place. He channels his frustration into cooking. 

*

That evening they eat soup and Blaine passes out almost immediately after again, the pills hitting him hard like medicine usually does. He’s grumpy and fussy like a child every time Kurt wakes him up to check on him, even going so far as to shove Kurt away at one point, but Kurt doesn’t mind. The rest of the time Blaine is the perfect level of snuggly and warm against Kurt, and it’s reassuring to feel him warm and alive right there beside Kurt. 

Kurt talks to Rachel and Santana when they get home, fill them in and make them promise to stay quiet enough that it won’t disturb Blaine. Santana ends up leaving for the night, but she’s only around half the time anyway. Rachel graciously offers to sacrifice her morning vocal warm up routine for Blaine’s sake. 

He crawls into bed beside Blaine at half past eleven, waking him up for one more check and more medicine and then opens his arms for Blaine to curl up in. 

He thinks Blaine is already asleep again until he hears Blaine mumbling, “Love you.” 

“Love you, too,” Kurt whispers. The entire loft is dark and quiet. The city outside isn’t - never is, really, but it’s dulled to background noise by now. 

“Thank you for taking care of me.” Blaine is smiling just a little, eyes still shut and lashes fanned out against his skin. He turns his head and brushes his lips over Kurt’s neck. “Love you a lot.” 

“I’ll always take care of you,” Kurt says, protectiveness and love swelling fiercely inside of him. 

Blaine just nods a tiny bit and says, “I know.”


End file.
